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Elections
in Indian held Kashmir and detention of Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front-JKLF- Chairman
Yasin Malik –a serious question mark on Indian democracy.

Luton- UK: 25 Dec.

A
meeting of solidarity with the JKLF and its Chairman Mr Yasin Malik was held
here on 24 December in support of the anti-election stance of the JKLF and its
Chairman in Indian held Kashmir. JKLF Chairman
went on a hunger strike three days prior to his release between the early hours
of December 23 and December 24, in protest at the repressive and vindictive
actions of Indian authorities against JKLF activists and their families,
relatives and friends in Srinagar especially in Maisooma and neighbourhoods where total boycott of the polls took place.

Speaking
at the meeting JKLF’s head of Diplomatic Bureau Prof Zafar Khan strongly
condemned Indian authorities for keeping
JKLF Chairman Mr Yasin Malik incarcerated for almost two months during the
entire duration of the election period
in Indian held Jammu Kashmir. He called Indian actions undemocratic, inhuman
and callous, and urged the International community and humanitarian
organisations including those in India, to take serious note of the
undemocratic and inhuman behaviour of India’s State apparatus in Indian held
Jammu Kashmir. He accused the Indian government of Narendra Modi of showing
utter disregard and contempt by violating the most sacred and fundamental
democratic principles of political rights and freedom of speech during the
elections.

Quite
clearly Mr Yasin Malik and his party the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front-JKLF
were denied both of these basic principles and rights as a result of Mr Malik’s
incarceration and oppressive actions against the JKLF activists during and
after the election process. He reminded the meeting that Mr Yasin Malik opposed
the elections in Kashmir within the framework of Indian constitution, which he
and the JKLF does not recognise as an alternative to Kashmiris’ right of
self-determination, and reunification of forcibly divided Jammu Kashmir between
India and Pakistan since.

He
said that the concerted and orchestrated campaign, the repressive and
undemocratic actions by the Indian government can only be described as a
desperate attempt to silence the JKLF and deprive Kashmiri masses of a genuine
and representative voice. He accused Indian authorities of being extremely
indifferent, negligent and callous toward Mr Malik’s medical condition during
his 7 week incarceration by shifting him from hospital to prison cell,
especially since he has a long standing kidney ailment that requires regular
medical care and treatment. He said the
authorities’ inattentive attitude to Mr Malik’s health needs during his hunger
strike in particular, has caused
resentment and anger within Kashmiris across both sides of the
Cease-Fire Line in Kashmir and throughout the Kashmiri Diaspora.

Referring to the post-election situation in Indian held
Kashmir Zafar Khan said despite visiting
Jammu Kashmir eight times in his six
month tenure as Prime Minister of India, Mr Modi has not only failed to obtain the desired
results in Jammu Kashmir, he has further fanned the flames and heightened the
passions for a permanent solution of Kashmir dispute. The election results have
created a climate of uncertainty and an inevitable political stalemate. Zafar
Khan called this state of affairs a consequence of communal political agenda
which the Bharatiya Janata Party-the BJP-under Mr Modi pursued particularly in
the Jammu region Kashmir.

However
he said despite BJP’s communal manoeuvring to further its Hindutva and Akhand
Bharat philosophy, people of Jammu Kashmir have clearly not gone along with Mr
Modi’s government. But he raised a note of caution in particular to people of
Jammu region to resist communally divisive and assimilationist political agenda
of the BJP in respect of the identity, solidarity and ultimate unity of the
entire state, including regions of Azad Jammu Kashmir- Gilgit Baltistan, and
pointed out that this identity and solidarity needed to be jealously guarded
and protected against forces of communal and ethnic divisions.

He
said Mr Malik and his party seek a peaceful and democratic solution of Kashmir
dispute and said we have intimated this to major powers including the UK, the
USA and all the UN member countries including the members of the UN Security
Council prior to, and during the current election in Indian Held Kashmir. He
said we hope and anticipate that the world community will stand up and take note
of double standards of Indian democracy in relation to Jammu Kashmir, and cited
the example of the Scottish referendum in which people of Scotland were allowed
their democratic right to decide whether they wished Scotland to remain as part
of the United Kingdom or become an independent country. He said Mr Narendra
Modi has embarked upon a vendetta against the JKLF and its leadership. India
claims to be a strong democracy and yet it prevented Mr Malik and his party from campaigning against the election in Jammu Kashmir and prevented him from a direct contact with
the people by keeping him and many of
his colleagues behind bars during the election.

Zafar
Khan concluded by reminding the Major Powers that like twenty million people of
forcibly divided Jammu Kashmir Mr Yasin Malik also seeks to decide a political
and constitutional status of his mother land through a fair, free, transparent
and democratic process as was exercised by the Scottish people; and said that the presence of seven hundred thousand
military and security personnel as well as the overwhelming physical influence
of the Indian State apparatus in Jammu Kashmir, election process of the kind
that has just been concluded is not an alternative to a lasting and just
solution of the Kashmir issue. End.